Raymond Saunders' first steam clock was built in 1977 to solve the issue of a steam vent in a popular sidewalk in the Gastown district of Vancouver. Now owned by the City of Vancouver, funding for the project (over $58,000.00 CDN) was provided by contributions from local merchants, property owners, and private donors. The clock displays the time on four faces and announces the quarter hours with a whistle chime that plays the Westminster Quarters.
The steam used is from a low pressure downtown-wide steam heating network (from a plant adjacent to the Georgia Viaduct) that powers a miniature steam engine in its base, in turn driving a chain lift. The chain lift moves steel balls upward, where they are unloaded and roll to a descending chain. The weight of the balls on the descending chain drives a conventional pendulum clock escapement, geared to the hands on the four faces. The steam also powers the clock's sound production, with whistles being used instead of bells to produce the Westminster "chime" and to signal the time.
